Pool of the Week

I'm off to Collingwood this long weekend to enjoy some fun with friends and to continue my summer of adventure. In fact, we may even go to this spa to swim in the hot and cold pools, take saunas and steam with eucalyptus. My friend Sandra is amazed that I suggested doing this, in light of my general horror over public bathing. I have a thing about germs. Strange, I realize, that I LOVE to post photos of pools. My instinct to be creeped out by swimming with strangers is at odds with my love of clear blue water set in beautiful landscapes. Mind you, no time like the present to change my attitude. As long as no one is renovating at the spa, I should be able to control whatever anxiety-provocation comes my way.

Let me leave you with today's gorgeous water-feature:

Photo from Desire to Inspire

Do yourself a favour and read the entire post for many more photos of a mid-century gem.

I wish you a weekend of spectacular weather, wonderful food, great conversation, fantastic music, fun activity, deep sleep, plentiful inebriants (used moderately, of course), perfect landscapes and wonderful memories. It's good to be you. xoxo

Give Me Shelter

My shade card arrived and it's all that!

Let me start by saying that it was adorably packaged in a sturdy envelope and that it's ingeniously, compactly designed to give you info while remaining low-cost to ship. Very smart, Brooklyn Tweed.

Furthermore, the colours are spectacular. Muted, but intense. Who doesn't love shades named "soot" and "woodsmoke" and "homemade jam".

I can't really give you a description of how this wool will knit or wear. The swatches are too tiny. But I can tell you that the yarn is soft. It does not feel rustic. Everyone likes to say it's lofty, but I can't really say what that means. It does seem springy and light.

On the basis of this card, I will purchase the yarn. When I do, and when I get around to making something with it, I will most certainly update you. Till then, ambivalent yarn buffs: do yourself a favour and order the card. If nothing else, you'll love to look at it.

TO State of Mind

In case you're wondering, there's been a dearth of crafting here. It's been, um, stressful in these parts. I refuse to immortalize my renovation anxiety; I'd prefer to tell you, sometime in the near future, how it all played out fine in the end, smug, like those reno snobs. For right now, I urge you simply to move house the next time you want to improve your living space :-)

At any rate, S, my fitting friend, is in the midst of a very busy time in her life. I've got futons and stuff in my sewga room. Between the two of us, we haven't seen much of each other in a couple of weeks and may not for a while. I have made up a second muslin of my fitted bodice "sloper" (you know every new fitted bodice for me is likely to be its own thing, given the intriguing shape of my torso) but that's as far as it's gone to date.

I'm not feeling the sewing urge. Much like last summer, I can't find the creative zing - compulsion, should we call it? - to sew. It's too fucking beautiful outside. Too stressful having my house reconstructed around me. Too crazy at work. Too busy at weekends.

I've been finding my creativity in small ways. Knitting the sweater that looks like, well, anything other than a sweater. I'm prepared to discover I've gone all wrong on this one, but I can't really determine that till I finish one side. The fact that this thing is knit in sock wool is making it a very meditative (read: endless) experience.

No cooking to speak of. No baking. But I have been riding my M's bike to and from work and all around the city on the weekends. I've rediscovered this city in a fairly spectacular way. To wit:  Y'all know how down on Toronto I tend to be. It's dirty, it's noisy, it's cold, it's wet. Weekend urbanites co-opt and crowd my "cool, bohemian" neighbourhood; it pisses me off. (Seriously, go get your own cool neighbourhood.) We live to work in this town. Everyone's all about the work.

But I was recently blown away by a day trip I took in my own town. Scott and I cycled, mostly scenically, down to Harbourfront (in truth, a place I loathe). Got on a water taxi (10 bucks a person, peeps, including your bike) and spent the afternoon cycling the Toronto Islands and swimming at Hanlan's Point beach. In 30 minutes I was out of the city and on a vacation (Muskoka-style), swimming in water that was crystal clear and sand-bottomed for half a mile out. When we'd had enough, we went back to the city and cycled home.

That's the first time I've ever set foot in this part of Lake Ontario. When I was growing up, the lake was a polluted mess. In fact, the whole way to the island, I maintained that I would most certainly not be swimming. It's probably the clearest lake I've ever been in.

Some key details:

• Toronto Island (as we call it) is fucking gorgeous in a way that makes me proud and awed to live here. There are zillions of things to do (not that that's motivated me before, except sporadically). If you only go to the beach, this place is worth it.
• You do not need to wait like the riff raff for the ferry. Seriously. I will never take that stupid ferry again. Water taxis are to island hopping like taxis are to urban transit. Why take public transit if you don't want to? It's not like you save a boat load of money. (Hahahaha - get it?)
• Bring food and towels and sunscreen. A bike with a couple of baskets will provide all the storage you need. There are places to eat on the Island but they're either crappy, overpriced or hard to get into.
• You will never see a better view of downtown Toronto than from the Island.

I've been to so many terrific cities with amazing secrets to discover. But I've never seen anything quite like this.

I'm calling this my summer of outdoor adventurism: biking down mountains and all across town, canoeing, swimming in the city, going to visit friends up north. What I've sacrificed in crafting productivity, I seem to be making up for in lively activity.

It's a tradeoff I'm willing to make right now.

These People Have My Number

Trust me, I had this awesome post, half done, and I just pressed some whack combo of buttons and the whole thing is gone.

Now you're stuck with this one.

The upshot is that blogs are dangerous because they lead you down the path of retail exploration, even when you're not expecting it. It's doubly dangerous when the source is (a comment on) your own blog?! Frances, I blame you! :-)

My latest vice: Brooklyn Tweed.

What else do I need? It's got:

• Beautiful people wearing
• Beautiful garments in 
• Beautiful photos displayed with
• Excellent graphics that underscore a
• Terrific user interface which is home to
• An online store with affordable shipping rates that also houses
• A blog (a real one) that puts you in a really tweedy mood. 

Not to mention, the auteur is a guy (one of the 5 male knitters I've ever heard of), mastermind of a lifestyle, design collective and producer of sustainable materials. I found myself come up against some scary latent sexism when I discovered this. I was all: How is it that a man can turn a largely frumpy art into "concept"? Why didn't a woman do this? Um, hello, we run knitting. Whereupon I spoke with some friends at work and they suggested I was threatened, not unlike a corporate man in 1950. That's food for thought.

Point is, you shouldn't knock a great thing - a place where you can read about knitting, find numerous patterns (of a certain niche, some of which may very much appeal to you), excellent pattern instruction, and hand-crafted yarn.

Here's the pattern I recently bought because this post caught my eye:

Take heed marketers. This isn't even vaguely my style and I just couldn't resist. A two-way sweater. In "natural colours". It's so Iceland meets New Hampshire! Maybe, if I make this sweater my hair will get kind of red and curly and I'll get taller and younger!

I came SO close to spending 100 bucks plus on yarn (it looks so GOOD), when sense got the better of me. I ordered the swatch card instead (7 bucks, no shipping fee) and then I read some Ravelry reviews.

The more you read, the worse it gets. Apparently, the yarn frays, splits, breaks and contains a surplus "natural fibre" bits i.e. woody crap. You know, based on how gorgeous it looks in the Look Book, I'd try it nonetheless, if not for the numerous comments that indicate it isn't soft. I have a thing about soft. I hate "rustic yarn".

The point is, I had an option to order the swatch card because this company offers it in a lovely format at a reasonable price, sans shipping. I will feel (a swatchy version of) the product with my own hands and then decide if it is meant to be, for me, or if I should simply enjoy the many other elements of Brooklyn Tweed: patterns, blog and gorgeous photos. Either way, they win. And so do I.

Question: Have you tried this yarn? Does it live down to its Ravelry rep? Have you tried the patterns? What's your experience of Brooklyn Tweed? Do tell.

It's All Structural

Ah, the joys of renovation. The project has hit a couple of snags in the last 24 hours. I'm not going to talk about them because a) they stress me out all to shit and b) it's really important not to over react. Every human being who's ever undertaken a structural reno says (s)he hits some pretty piquant moments. Thing is, those moments often disappear as quickly as they arrive. So I've decided to just truck along, structural reno veteran-in-the-making. Is there a t-shirt for that?

As luck would have it, I arrived home to a little present from Figleaves on the porch. Note: It was a present from me, to me, via Figleaves. They didn't comp me anything.

You know how I love to try out new brands and how this blog makes me feel like I'm not so much supporting a habit as performing a public service? Well, I've noted the house brand "Midnight Grace" for quite a while, and I've often wondered how the product would wear.

For starters, Midnight Grace is a stupid name. What is it with brands and their stupid names these days??

Specifically, I went on the site to find something inexpensive. Often, people ask me for lingerie advice and I direct them to brands I love, but which might not be in the optimal price range. This time, I went looking for cheap (price-wise only, natch), and this is what I found:

Midnight Grace Posy Non-padded Plunge Bra and Shorts

Who doesn't like a nice floral print?

I chose it because a) it seemed easy to wear under things b) was cute c) seemed supportive and d) it cost (on sale, and that sale continues) £8.40 for the bra and £4.80 for the undies. Including shipping, this whole thing cost me under 40 bucks CDN. You can't find a set at Target for that price.

So, what do I think?

For starters, I've been buying up 1 cup size lately. I'm experimenting in light of changing breast volume and shape, but I've found that, when one buys a new brand in a new size, everything's a surprise.

I would say, just from my minimal experience of this one style of bra, that it fits small in both cup and band. I'm glad I went up a size, though it's a bit roomy in the upper cups for me. The gore sits perfectly flush with my breastbone and the wires are the right size to encase the fullness and deepness of my breasts. I suggest this style is good for someone with upper bust volume and breasts that aren't too closely set. It does seem to separate the breasts quite a bit, which gives a flatter profile (not my fave). This bra does not promote cleavage (not something I particularly care about attaining in every bra).

The fabric is not luxe, nor is it yucky. On this front, I think you get what you pay for. If I'd bought this at full price, I'd be satisfied by the fabric quality, but not impressed.

Where this falls down, no pun intended, is on supportiveness. Don't get me wrong, it's not a disaster. I can totally wear this thing, though I wonder how often I will, in light of the exquisite and sizable cache I already own. I just think it would be better on a younger, not-so-dense bust. In this respect it has a Panache Cleo quality - really pretty to look at, but not so well engineered, at least not for heavy breasts. I sense the brand is catering to a youth market in that the cups are very sheer (and as such, not so strong, though my Miss Mandalay bra is just a sheer and much more supportive. Note, the Mandalay bra has really grown on me. What I've learned, in my travels, is that younger, proportionately full-busted purchasers are very dismayed when they buy bras online, only to find that those bras - in their size - are made differently than the photos which initially enticed the purchase i.e. with wider straps or underlayers of fabric etc., to improve structural support.)

The undies fit nicely. They're true to size, IMO. Note that I do not have a particularly large derriere or hips. The waistband sits just below the navel for a look that flatters a stomach that's not quite flat. For what it's worth, I don't think the photo above does them justice. I don't think they flatter the proportionately thick upper legs of the model shown and I think, for the pic, they should have sized up.


Would I buy this brand again? No - I can afford better and I value quality and support. In truth, as I've said many times, I'd go without many things for luxe lingerie. It more than pays for itself. For optimal design / value / cost ratio, I maintain that that you cannot do better than Freya (if you have a proportionately large chest and narrow frame).

Would I recommend this brand for those who don't want to or can't spend a lot, but who need a "larger" cup size and cute design? Yes, if the woman were slim(ish), young(ish) and not in need of too much support.

If nothing else, it's taken my mind off third floor renos. Has anyone tried this brand? Thoughts or feelings?

Shout Out to the (Knitting) Experts: Keeping Edges Straight

OK, I think I've encountered one of those vintage knitting lingo moments that has me reasonably concerned that a) I don't know what the hell it means and so b) I just ignored the instruction and now I'm going to have to rip my sweater back to the start.

Do you know this term: keeping the edges straight? It's used in a variety of contexts in my current project: Keep the side edge straight, keep the centre back edge straight etc.

Seems self-explanatory enough. Stay straight.

But, ahem, after observing it 5 times, it occurred to me that I should look up the phrase to see if there's more to it. Seems there is.

(Katy, I didn't understand that what you meant in your comment, about slipping the first stitch, is probably what the pattern advises (without so much as coming out and saying it). Have I mentioned that the vintage people would have done better to actually explain their concepts??)

Here's the question: Should I start over, inserting an extra "edging" stitch at the beginning and end of each row?

My larger dilemma is that I spend practically every row of this project either increasing or decreasing at either or both sides. I'm instructed to start knitting the left side of the sweater by casting 2 stitches on the needle. By the time I finish, I end up with almost 200 stitches.

So, presuming I need to add extra edge stitches for slipping, how does it work with a pattern with so much sharp shaping? I'm told to begin the pattern by casting on 2 stitches, then knitting, then casting on 2 more stitches, then purling (and so on and so on). Instead of following the explicit pattern instructions to cast on 2 stitches to begin, should I just start the whole shebang with 4 cast on stitches? Do I keep those extra 2 "edging" stitches (one beginning, one end) as the ones to be slipped? How will I slip? Only on knit rows? On every row?

More to the point, is this merely a cosmetic thing, or is keeping my edges straight a structural endeavour?

Thanks so much, knitting experts, for any feedback you can provide.

Sincerely, That Novice Who Should Think About These Things Before Spending 10 Hours Knitting

On A Clear Day...

Apparently, it's a long road to a new roof...

Needless to say, there's still a far way to go, but we hope to have a waterproof roof and all the windows installed sometime soon (You can't see the ones that will go in at the front of the house - the clerestories and the original front window that's to be replaced.) There's going to be an awesome cross breeze happening in this room. Assisted by a very cool (read: happening) fan.

The windows are extremely fancy. You can never lock yourself out on the balcony via the window /door on the right (it's open in this photo). That wooden thing on the other side of the windows is a balcony space. The view is pretty nice, all things considered - very wide and much less ugly than I thought it would be.

This pic doesn't really give a sense of the scope in the new room. It really is spacious but not in a "monster-reno" way. To be clear, it's no larger than it ever was, it's just got higher ceilings (12 feet at the ridge beam to the back of the room) and a more usable floor plan.

We're more or less on schedule (pending inspections) and the plan indicates completion at the beginning of September. I wonder how feasible that is. The 125 yr old plaster walls in the second floor hallway have taken a beating - not from travel (we set up a scaffold to obviate the need for trades to walk through the house with construction materials) but due to the impact of the third floor build. They'll need to be restored - Lord, we restore them every time I turn around, it seems. And there will be a need for certain other fixes. (It's part of the original work plan as we assumed all that smacking would filter down.) I think they also intend to repaint the master bedroom, a little extra, which hasn't been done since we moved in 12 years ago. That would be awesome.

Thoughts so far?